I can't believe it's taken me this long to read this book. It's an absolute modern day classic and I can see why. Exquisite.

Absolute shite, or should I say utter poppycock. Hated it and wish I could have the hours back I spent reading it.

I picked up this novel in tandem with Never Let Me Go, a book so tedious that I abandoned it, preferring instead to watch paint dry. However after seeing Ishiguro win a noble price I was prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt, wipe the slate clean and start afresh. Boy I am glad I did, I loved this one! It couldn't have been anymore different. Highly recommend.

It's been a long time since I last read "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro and what strikes me upon a second reading is that, Ishiguro can really write. He somehow manages to convey a quintessentially english life, through Stephens the butler and his very limiting lifestyle. Stephens and his butler father are entirely devoted to butlering and there is many a passage which goes into the intricacies of this dying art. When offered "time off" (a butler should never be seen off duty) from his new master, Stephens takes the opportunity to visit his former co-worker Miss Kenton. It is a very sweet road trip across the west country, peppered with flashbacks to Miss Kenton and Stephens relationship (or lack of) culminating in a brief visit in a hotel tea room. Just a joy!

The Remains of the Day is a contemporary classic that will be read for as long as there are people to read and formats to read by.

My introduction to the work of Kazuo Ishiguro was Never Let Me Go which, in my opinion, is one of the best books ever written. I wasn't expecting to be so caught up in another of his books but I found this one to be just as satisfying to read and just as deeply moving albeit in a different way.
This is one of those books that even after you have finished reading,it stays with you and repays thoughts and consideration of the events portrayed and the characters described.

I was left feeling quite sad at the end of this book which is a gentle enough tale of the life and times of a dedicated butler, Stevens.
Beautifully written and real humour particularly in the early relationship between the butler and housekeeper. The drive was like a nostalgic peep at how roads and. towns used to be in England but sadly are no more.

Whilst Never Let Me Go managed to skyrocket into my favourites, The Remains of the Day ended up being just okay.
I can't deny the beauty of Ishiguro's writing. His descriptions of Darlington Hall were so rich that it was easy to create an image of it in your mind. However, it was the story itself that disappointed me. Something felt like it was missing and I just wasn't as drawn into the story as I was in Never Let Me Go.

The Remains of the Day was an enjoyable read but it wasn't what I was expecting. Seeing how popular this book is, I'm definitely in the minority, so I encourage other readers to experience it for themselves.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I first read this book many years ago and it is still as good on a second reading.
A story of service and loyalty is told through Stephens a long serving butler at Darlington Hall. Lord Darlington has recently passed on and Stephens new American employer encourages him to take a journey to meet with Miss Kenton a previous colleague of Stephens whom he held in great esteem. Throughout the course of the book Stephens reflects on his years of service and the true nature of his relationship with Miss Kenton all those years ago.

Kazuo Ishiguro is a real favourite of mine, so I couldn't wait to get stuck into this! And it didn't disappoint! A really gripping story with fully believable characters and the same amazing writing you can expect from Kazuo Ishiguro. Highly highly recommend!

This is a short tale, apparently simple in nature, of a butler taking a short trip to meet and old colleague and encourage her to return to their place of work. But it contains a real depth to the character of Stevens - a fastidious man who is so focused on dignity and the role of the "great" devoted butlers that his life has, in many respects, passed him by.

This isn't an easy read - there's plenty to unpick and reflect on, from the nature of class (and the snobbery that accompanies it) to what gives some individuals dignity (and others not). Stevens himself has become indistinguishable from his role, which is more than just a job - it is in itself a station that he was born to.

We sadly find ourselves snickering at Stevens' own naiveté as he struggled to find his place within this new world order, one where the role of butler is coveted but under-appreciated, as households begin to close down post world-war.

Stevens himself is restrained and formal, which is exactly as this novel comes across - it is quite the impressive masterpiece in creating a sympathetic but challenging character that is the voice of the narrator, of so much of English culture, and of the novel itself.

This short novel follows Stevens as he crosses the English countryside for six days in the guise of recruiting a former housekeeper to return to Darlington Hall, where they were formerly colleagues. Along the way, he muses about his lifelong career and the choices he made, and wondering if things might have turned out differently. It is sad, but satisfying.

Stevens is an old school English butler who has spent his career aspiring to be a "great" butler. In order to achieve this, he has designed strict rules of comportment that he must follow at all times, at the expense of showing emotion and connecting with other people on a personal level. Stevens is not an altogether reliable narrator, so it takes a while to piece together the truth of his lonely existence. He goes to great lengths to convince the reader (and himself) that his four decades of service to a distinguished household has been worth the sacrifice of human warmth.

Thank you Faber & Faber for this copy of one of my favourite novels. This was a reread for me, and I enjoyed it even more the second time.

Kazuo Ishiguro's work, The Remains of the Day, published in 1989, has received wide acclaim. However, this was my first encounter with Ishiguro's work, and I have to say his distinctly unique writing style grabbed my attention from the very first page. What a fantastic writer, and what a remarkable book!

Kazuo Ishiguro has a way with words that make them slide off the page and into my mind. An absolute classic. Superb as always.

This is an amazing book and Ishiguro is definitely an amazing writer. Very absorbing story that pulled me in from the first page.
I loved it and would recommend to anyone.
Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

I don’t understand why this book is so revered! Others are so much more resonant for me. This one felt much more like a wandering plot with no real meat to it. Maybe I missed something.

A beautifully written book, which lets you inside the head of a character whom you might initially view as unsympathetic or far removed from modern sensibilities. Nevertheless, your heart breaks for him by the end as Ishiguro has skilfully let us into his world.

It's difficult to put my finger on what makes this Booker prize winner so readable and compelling. The plot isn't much more than a man driving for several days to have a brief conversation with a former colleague, while reflecting on his life and work as a butler.

I think it comes down to the incredible job that Ishiguro has done in creating Stevens' voice, through whom everything else is filtered. It's all his narration or recollection. Living in the small world of a stately home, he has relatively little ambition but sees it as a great and noble work which he does; world-changing even. He's very proper and unemotional, which means the small breakthroughs are hard hitting. Stevens briefly questions what it is he has spent his life on and whether he missed opportunities which could have brought him greater fulfilment, but all in all, it's very low key.

I do wonder how Ishiguro came to be writing about this subject, but for reasons I still can't entirely pinpoint, I'm extremely glad he did. It has a sublime quality that I can't articulate or explain. This definitely represents one of those occasions on which the awards bodies got it exactly right!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this wonderful novel - it's one of those titles that's been ubiquitous on my literary radar for so long that I wrongly assumed I'd already read it. And I might have gone on thinking that were it not for this copy from NetGalley. What a rare treat I'd have missed out on!

It is nothing less than exquisite. Just so beautifully written. It's hilarious and meaningful and poignant and heartbreakingly sad and pushes all the buttons that quality literature really should push. I'm now quietly obsessed with this book. It was my first encounter with the author but it will definitely not be my last.

I'm in awe at how a thing done with such sublime subtlety can pack such an emotional punch - I was a wreck for days after finishing.

I also love the fact the Stevens does a lot of telling but this novel is still an excellent example of the show, don't tell rule. It's just so clever.

I absolutely love this book.

An interesting book. On the surface, it is the ramblings of an old butler to a large house. Delve deeper and through the eloquent language, you see a man unable to express emotion, even at the death of his father. Before the war, Lord Darlington is involved in foreign affairs. He seems to be both antisemitic, and pro fascist. His Butler, Stevens, sees everything but says nothing.
The language used is rich and eloquent, and the book is more of a series of recollections rather than a novel.

This is not what I expected at all but I enjoyed it. I have never read a book like it and it definitely has expanded my horizons. Would recommend.